Explore the Fascinating country of Belgium

Positioned between France and Germany, Belgium rubs shoulders with some of
Western Europe's most influential cultural and intellectual traditions.
Travelers too often mistake Belgium's subtleness for dullness, but its cities
offer some of Europe's finest art and architecture, and its castle-dotted
countryside provides a gorgeous escape for hikers and bikers.

Wherever else you go in Belgium, it's hard to avoid Brussels (population
1,122,000), a capital boasting architecture and museums to rank with the best in
Europe, a well-preserved medieval center and an energetic nightlife.

Antwerp is Belgium's second biggest city with a population of 452,000
inhabitants. It fans out from the east bank of the Scheldt about 50km north of
Brussels. Many travelers prefer it to the capital and indeed it does have a
denser concentration of things to see and do, not least some fine churches and
distinguished museums - reminders of its auspicious past as center of a wide
trading empire. Antwerp has also become the effective capital of Flemish
Belgium, acting as a lively cultural center with a spirited nightlife.

Ghent with a population of 225,000 inhabitants is the third largest city of
Belgium, a lively eminently appealing place with bags of character, great
restaurants and a clutch of first-rate historic sights.